I'm older now, and simple beer pleasures are the most meaningful to me. They tend to be encountered locally. It is my aim to get unplugged and explore some of them, slowly and thoughtfully. I'd tell you where it's leading, except that I've no idea ... and that's the whole point of the journey: To find out.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Gravity Head update: Monday, March 12.

(Updated on Saturday afternoon, March 17 - scroll down to the lists)

We don’t use the most sophisticated of POS software, but I can tell that on the opening weekend of Gravity Head 2007, there were something like 3,500 beers poured. The number is a bit higher if you add the ones sampled by the Publican, seeing as these are part of the compensation package and not charted – wouldn’t want the sawbones seeing that accumulation, would we?.

Here’s how the current lineup is looking after the opening weekend of Gravity Head 2007, but first, the errata and inevitable scratches as presently are known.

1. Kasteelbier Blonde/Tripel was ordered, invoiced and put into storage after delivery. Only when it was being readied for tapping Thursday did any of us notice that the Brown/Bruin had been shipped instead. Oops. The good news is that Gravity fans loved the Brown, so it turned out to be a good, if unintentional, move.

3. De Dolle Stille Nacht will not be coming, after all. It seems that an enterprising operator in the Big Apple snagged it while no one was looking. If possible, I’ll procure a keg later this year and age it until Gravity Head 2008 (10th anniversary edition).

The following beers are on tap now.The JW Lees is not a misprint. For the first time in memory, the 5-gallon pin lasted through the business day on Saturday, and will return to duty on Monday afternoon.

Here are the beers that already are scheduled to appear at specific times during Gravity Head 2007 (March and April):

Saturday, March 17:Bell's Expedition Stout (firkin) 11.5% abvUpland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abvPlease note that a keg of Rogue Kell’s Irish Lager, a non-Gravity selection, will complete this color-coded homage to Irishness in beer styles. Note also that the only green-colored beer available for St. Patrick’s Day will be bottled Berliner Weiss with woodruff syrup. That won’t stop seemingly clever people from asking for it.

Saturday, April 7:BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale 8.25% abvRepresentatives of BarrelHouse will be on hand with other of their beers for sampling along with the FOSSILS homebrew club’s monthly meeting in Prost.

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Now, on to the availability update.As you can see, Gravity Head is going to last for quite some time. These kegs are in the bullpen – on site and ready for tapping: